After seven days of warm temperatures and clear skies, Cal Poly will see the return of rain on Wednesday night.
Although the Central Coast is not feeling the pinch of the Polar Vortex like the rest the country, the region will experience some winter weather of its own until Feb. 4. Two new storms are gaining strength in the Pacific Ocean, bringing not only rain, but heavy wind gusts and cool temperatures.
The National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts at least two inches of rainfall over the next 72 hours. Temperatures over the next three days will drop from a pleasant average in the mid to low 70’s to the high 50’s. Wind gusts are expected to reach up to 25 mph.
Industrial Engineering Senior Ian Sun said it was nice to have clear skies for a week.
“I got to wear the outfits I wanted to wear,” Sun said. “I didn’t have to just wear pants and a jacket.”
Cal Poly has already had nearly 12 inches of rain since July. Since the start of winter quarter, the university saw two straight weeks of rain and cool temperatures. However, these storms do not compare to the Arctic air sitting over two-thirds of the United States.
Already, seven deaths are blamed on the cold. Cities like Detroit saw a high Wednesday of -10 degrees Fahrenheit. Wednesday night, Chicago saw a low of -24 degrees with a wind chill of -41 degrees.
Sun returned from Chicago a week before the Polar Vortex and is glad to be back to California’s winter weather.
“It was really cold when I was there, I can’t imagine what it’s like right now,” Sun said.